Good News: Follow Up Visit at the Vet

Happy smiling Cairn terrier sitting next to flowers.

Today was Geordie’s first follow up visit after getting his C diagnoses a couple of months ago. He had a new vet this time because his long-time doctor recently left for an other practice.

The news the new doctor gave us was just what I had been hoping for. She said that despite the cancer, he is in excellent health! I was afraid it was wishful thinking on my part and that I was only seeing what I wanted to, but no, Geordie is strong and “healthy” and happy. She said that whatever we’ve been doing, keep it up. And, not to get our hopes up, but…if he keeps up the way that he is, Geordie could live one to two more years.

On top of the good news, today was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. It was perfect for lifting one’s spirits. I hope everyone reading this had something equally wonderful happen for them too.

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Dog Fight or Aggressive Flirting?

Smiling Cairn terrier boy.

Come on…I can take ya!

As Toby and I were going for a walk, a little boy was walking his dog. Toby and I have met the pup before. She is small and full of bluster until she gets close to you, then she is sweet and shy. Yesterday, though, the little girl pup broke free from her human and came barrelling toward Toby. She ran into his side with furious growls, and Toby answered her back with equally furious growls. They spun and twisted and to human eye appeared to be locked in a vicious battle.

I grabbed the little girl’s leash, pulled her back from my pup and handed the leash to her boy. I looked over at Toby to see how he was handling the situation since this was his first encounter like this. He was panting, had a huge grin on his face and wanted to go back to the little girl dog.

Something similar happened on two other occasions with Geordie and a different girl dog. Both times after the two were separated, Geordie kept asking for the little girl to come back and “play” with him. (For days he pestered me.)

I am curious if I am reading these situations properly. Is there such a thing as noisy dog-flirting or are my dogs actually caught in fights? Each time my boys have come away without so much as a scratch.

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A Tired Mommy Is a Good Mommy is available at Amazon.

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Formaldehyde in Wrinkle Resistant Fabrics

Two Cairn terriers sitting in the grass.

This year for Mother’s Day, my boys very thoughtfully got me a pretty, new set of sheets for the bed. As I opened the plastic to remove the sheets, I quickly had to set them down because of the itchy red rash I got from touching them. Not only did they cause redness and itching, but they had a very strong chemical odor to them.

Not sure of what was going on, I checked the packaging and saw that these were “wrinkle resistant” sheets. I Googled the term and found that what makes a fabric, in this case cotton, wrinkle resistant isn’t the way it is woven (as I had thought) but that the fibers are infused with formaldehyde to cause them to swell and not bend as easily.

I know that formaldehyde can be used in the sizing on fabrics to make them appear crisp when displayed, but I hadn’t known it was bonded to the fibers over something as unimportant as wrinkling. Formaldehyde can cause skin irritation, breathing difficulties and of course it is a carcinogen. Since formaldehyde is absorbed through the skin, every time you lie on treated sheets or wear wrinkle resistant clothing, you are exposing yourself to this poison. Sadly, there is no government regulation requiring disclosure for formaldehyde use.

A big concern should be our children and grandchildren being exposed this chemical. As a parent, I would not have given a second thought to the term “wrinkle resistant” on my child’s sheets – I would have chosen a print he/she would enjoy. I would be horrified to find that I had exposed someone I love to something so dangerous. And don’t forget our furkids. If your pup or kitty sleeps in the bed with you, they are also breathing and touching carcinogens.

Fortunately there are a number of companies who still sell regular cotton sheets at pretty reasonable prices. Cotton can be treated with a lot of pesticides as it is grown, so if this a concern look for organic sheets manufactured in the US. Organic regulations are more strictly enforced for domestic products than foreign ones.

So, if you are making a purchase of bedding or clothing, please be aware of what might be coming home with you uninvited.

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The Spirit of Cooperation

Two Cairn terriers refuse to look at the camera for their portraits.

Two Cairn terrier brothers turn their backs to the camera as Mom tries to take a picture.

As you can see, my two are nothing if not cooperative when it comes to having their pictures taken. I just gave the two little monsters a very itchy pair of fur cuts, but neither of them would look at me so that I could capture their new do’s. Thanks guys. I’ll remember this next time.

Pick up a copy of A Tired Mommy Is a Good Mommy which deals with time B.T. (Before Toby).

Both are available from Amazon.

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Life Gold

Go away.

For some reason, my favorite pictures are the bad ones.

When Geordie got sick, a neighbor told us about Life Gold – Dog Cancer Support . Her dog had been diagnosed several months before and has been taking it ever since. At his latest check up, the vet said that the dog is doing great and to keep doing whatever it is the family has been doing.

I started Geordie on Life Gold as soon as I could have it delivered. At this point, I can’t testify to it altering the length of his life yet, but I feel confident in saying that it has significantly improved his quality of life.

Before his diagnosis, Geordie had been kind of laid back with lots of napping. The clue we had that something was wrong was that he would cough from time to time. Since giving him Life Gold, though, it is as if he is 5 years younger! He has taken up playing with toys again, and he even invites me to play chase with him. In the evenings, after Toby has gone to sleep, he drags his little brother out of bed and insists Toby play with him. This goes on every night! Plus, he barely coughs now.

I realize that Geordie’s cancer isn’t cured, but it is wonderful to see him living such a full and happy life. I wanted to share this in case someone reading has had a pet diagnosed with the dreaded “C” word. Life Gold isn’t expensive, and it might just help your dog to feel better and you both to be happier.

I forgot to mention one other thing I noticed about Geordie and Life Gold. Whenever he went for his chest X ray, the vet was a tiny bit concerned that he had lost 3/4 of a pound. For a while, he simply hadn’t been very interested in his food. After starting Life Gold, however, he developed a healthy appetite and has gained enough weight that he looks like a healthy terrier again.

Pick up a copy of A Tired Mommy Is a Good Mommy which tells of Bitey’s life before Toby.

Available from Amazon.

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Watch Your Step

I keep hoping a deer will fall in the hole and never want to come back to the garden!

It’s tough to get a decent picture of a hole: they are not particularly photogenic. I hope this picture does justice to the huge hole that Toby dug this afternoon.

More than Geordie, Toby really enjoys being a dog. He loves digging holes and playing in mud. He likes chasing birds and catching tennis balls. Geordie has always been fussy about his demeanor and appearance. I’ve often said that if life were the TV show Frasier, Geordie would be Frasier and Toby would be Eddie.

Until recently, Toby has been able to get away with being the goofy puppy. Geordie was more practiced at everything and always led. Toby could afford to slack off and be the little clown. Once he realized that the humans knew that Geordie had a problem, though, he immediately stepped up to be such a wonderful, helpful boy. He pays attention to my moods now. He is much more patient with things like being groomed. I hug him often and tell him how much I appreciate all his help, but I don’t want him to stop being my goofy little puppy yet. As life gets back to normal, I want him to keep misbehaving.

I think today was a good start.

Cairn terrier pup looks between railing.

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A Late Easter Post

Snowy night scene.

Robin's egg sitting on porch step.

What a difference from last year to this year! Last Easter brought a tiny robin’s egg to our step. This year brought 6″ of snow.

I happen to love these early morning, above freezing snows, so I wasn’t disappointed to wake up to a frosted wonderland. It is so magical to be outside in the cold, damp, fresh-smelling air. I am fortunate that my pups love this kind of weather as well. (Sorry. My battery died before I could get a better picture of the snow.)

On this morning, Toby was so excited to see the snow that he practically burst through the front door to get to it. I put him on his 50′ leash and just let him run and run as much and as fast as he wanted. Scratch that. There is no such thing as enough time in the snow to Toby. Geordie wasn’t quite as thrilled as his brother, but I was happy that he got to see another snow.

It is still hard on me knowing that this will be my little boy’s last birthday and his last snowfall. It is the natural course of events, but it is still hard. I have been trying to give him everything he could possibly want, but instead of making a happy pup, I have created a tyrant. Geordie was always strong willed, but now that he realizes that I won’t push him, he is taking advantage. Will I stop? Of course not. An obnoxious pup is a small price to pay for allowing myself to feel that I’ve done everything I can for him.

I am nowhere near finished telling stories of the times we have spent together. You can catch up on what we’ve been doing with out latest book Poopiter.

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A Happy Barkday

A smiling, happy Cairn terrier wearing a party hat.

Friday was my little man’s barkday, and what a happy pup he was!

My mom had the idea to take the boys to the store to pick out presents for them to celebrate Geordie’s birthday. The trip would be part of the present.

Geordie tells his story:

While we were good in the car, that all went out the window when we got to the store. TSC is an agricultural business that sells supplies for all sorts of animals from bunnies to dogs to horses and cows. At this time of year they also sell chicks and ducklings to farmers. We could smell all of that as soon as we got to the parking lot. Woo hoo did we pull! Mom made us pee before we went in, and Toby did a poo. Then we FLEW into the store dragging our humans behind us. First thing we did was meet a puppy black lab girl. Then we found the huge pallet of 100 lb bags of dog food. Then…then….I pooped all over the floor. Well, I was just so excited! We continued to do our best impressions of sled dogs as we tried to break all of the glass lawn decorations foolishly placed out where we could get to them. (We failed). When we got to the checkout, the cashier gave us biscuits, so I guess we weren’t too naughty.

Mommy says: I am hoping that the ears the boys got as their presents keep them quiet so I can maybe get some work done and grab something to eat. That will be MY part of the gift this year!

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To read more of Bitey and Toby’s adventures, pick up a copy of Poopiter.

Bitey Dog and Toby in POOPITER

Available at Amazon.

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The Flower Garden

A single yellow daffodil flower.

So far, this is the bounty of our flower garden. I was fortunate to snap this picture before 6″ of snow fell on the poor little flower and bent his stem. Although the flower is intact, now it looks like he is kissing the dirt.

The flowers may not be enjoying the cold, but the puppies are going nuts for it. Oh yes, and they peed on the flower.

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A Spot on the X Ray

Cairn terrier sits surrounded by Christmas toys.

I am still so upset that I don’t know how to process the information yet. Real Life Bitey went to the vet today, and they found a spot on his lung. If it weren’t for an occasional cough, I would say he was in great health. He is very active and playful and everything a pup should be.

The vet had to send the X ray out to be read, so it will be several days before there is news about the spot. It could be pneumonia (they gave him antibiotics just in case) or it could be something worse.

If you have a spare prayer for us today, we would really appreciate it.

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